Talk is Cheap: Why Chatbots Will Always Be a Waste of Time

[apiltch]

Tech companies are building more witty bots like Siri and Cortana, but these anthropomorphic programs waste our time and give us a false sense of our own importance.

Talk is Cheap: Why Chatbots Will Always Be a Waste of Time : Read more

 

[cmb_9]

I don't think there is anything wrong with speaking to computers with the same speech we use in every day life. If we never thought to unify the two types of speech in the past, we'd still be coding programs with 8 bit code

 

[Avram Piltch]

I don't think there is anything wrong with speaking to computers with the same speech we use in every day life. If we never thought to unify the two types of speech in the past, we'd still be coding programs with 8 bit code

There's a difference between using natural language and making small talk. Right now, the natural language component is hit or miss -- see my colleague Philip Michaels' experience trying to change his 1-800 flowers order by typing "I'd like to change my choice." However, I'm sure that soon enough computers will get better at interpreting our diverse vocabulary. My point wasn't that you should have to speak in 1s and 0s to your computer, but that there's no benefit to anthropomorphisizing it. Say "weather" or "today's weather" but there's no need to have tell you stupid jokes or have you address it as a person ("Siri, should I wear a coat today?").